Case Number 16538

Ibid

Every purchase you make through these Amazon links supports DVD Verdict's reviewing efforts. Thank you!

All Rise...

Judge David Johnson recently escaped from a mental hospital. That was one wild weekend!

The Charge

In a world gone mad, who's to say who's crazy?

The Case

Ibid is definitely crazy. So crazy that it flirts mightily with not
making one iota of sense.

The film tells the story of two mental ward escapees, Lionel (Christian
Campbell) and Tin (writer/director Russell Friedenberg), convinced they're on a
mission from God to write the "New Commandments," supplements to the
Ten Commandments. Lionel takes a video camera along to document the experience,
attempting to craft the next great American film. Along the way, they meet up
with some eccentric characters, including a fellow escapee, Lionel's
ill-tempered family, and a flighty female traveler.

This review's going to be a bear to write because I simply did not take any
pleasure in watching Ibid. Russell Friedenberg obviously has some lofty
ideas he wants to transmit through his film, most of which revolve around the
concepts of madness, humanism, and progressive thought (full disclosure: that's
what he said in the accompanying interview). Well, if he was angling to put
together a post-modern fable told in a haphazard, disjointed manner to make his
points, he succeeded—though I certainly didn't have a ton of fun
navigating through the density.

What I liked most about the film was also my biggest complaint. It had
energy to spare; a great, big nuclear reactor's worth of filmmaking energy that
propelled our two protagonists along their twisted journey. Friedenberg's
directorial style is infectious and—powered by the bizarre but engaging
score—makes for a delirious pace that was almost enough to carry me
through the craziness. But, in the end, it wasn't enough. The writing failed to
overwhelm the fractured storytelling. Ibid is a difficult film, and the
pay-off for fighting through its 90 minutes wasn't enough.

The DVD's fine, though hurt by a deficiency on the technical side. Video
comes from a 1.33:1 fake widescreen transfer, which—considering we're so
far advanced in the digital age—by now should be outlawed. The picture
quality is decent, preserving the look of a gonzo '70s road movie. The 2.0
stereo sound takes care of business just fine. Extras: Interviews with Russell
Friedenberg and Christian Campbell; deleted scenes; and a brief making-of
featurette.

The Verdict

Guilty. I'm anxiously awaiting the first email telling me how stupid I am for
not liking it. Duly noted.